Tech experts at the Obama headquarters initially believed that the computer systems had been invaded by a computer virus.

Computer systems used by the Obama and McCain campaigns were reportedly hacked over the summer by an unknown "foreign entity," according to an account of the attacks published Wednesday.

The sophisticated cyberattacks has prompted a federal investigation, Newsweek reported Wednesday. Attacks on both campaigns were similar in that investigators believed a foreign entity or organization sought to steal information on policy positions. Such information could be used in negotiations with the future administration.

The General Manager of IBM/ISS weighs in on paying hackers for bugs and the viability of an open source competitor. Positive Networks has a straightforward approach to two-factor authentication using your cell phone. Andrew Conry-Murray spoke with the president of RSA, Art Coviello, at EMC World 2008 about Data Loss Prevention.Palo Alto Networks rethinks the firewall to accurately identify and control applicationsTech experts at the Obama headquarters initially believed that the computer systems had been invaded by a computer virus. The next day, however, they were told by the FBI and Secret Service that the problem was far more serious, the magazine reported.

"You have a problem way bigger than what you understand," an agent told Obama's team, according to Newsweek. "You have been compromised, and a serious amount of files have been loaded off your system."

Federal agents told Obama's aides that the McCain campaign had suffered a similar attack, which a top McCain official later confirmed to Newsweek.

No chads in Ohio, all electronic with a printed backup. You can ask for a paper ballot if you want to. Some of the elder folk do that.

Even paper like that has problems.

I put my pen in a square, thinking if I should vote for Candidate A. I decide that I don't know that contest very well, and go on to a different section (for a state representative, for example).

Now, that square has a slight mark in it. If the race is close, lawyers will argue whether that constitutes an intent to vote or not. I do not like paper ballots for that reason.

I really like the electronic. Binary FTW (there is no 0.5 state). Printed confirmations can be done, and if the print is unclear (toner/ink issues), a reprint can be endlessly done off the same data to get a clear representation.